My favorite recipes
We got strawberries from the farmer’s market at Cleveland Park. The recipe we followed was the basic sherbet recipe from Dana‘s book, but we used 3 cups of strawberries in the mixture.
AKT saved some berries for the topping, which made it extra nice.
See Cherry Sherbet entry for flavor/texture notes.
We had a good carrot meal over several days:
Herbed Carrot, Cheese, and Lemon Dip
Serve this dip with crudites-it’s a cinch to put together quickly.
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream or drained plain yogurt
1 cup grated carrots
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons each minced fresh parsley and chives or scallion tops
Salt, Pepper
In a bowl, combine the cream cheese and sour cream, stirring the mixture until smooth. Fold in the carrots, lemon juice, lemon peel, herbs, and salt and pepper. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
from:
The Big Carrot Book
Georgia Downard
We served ours with Di Bruno Bro. Crostini Artisan Crackers
www.dibruno.com
White-on-White Salad
Preparation: 5-10 minutes
Serves: 4
Here’s a tart, tangy, tasty salad easy to whip up and certain to please. Crunchy orange carrots contrast with pale soft pears and stark white chewy cheese curds, all blended together with tangy yellow lemon juice and topped by a dash of perky brown nutmeg.
2 large carrots, grated
1 cup large curd cottage cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 medium can pears, drained
Salad greens
Dash nutmeg
In a mixing bowl, combine the carrots, cottage cheese and lemon juice. Set aside.
Cut the well-drained pears into quarters and then into eighths, being careful not to crush them. (Reserve the juice for a breakfast drink.)
Place the pear pieces on the salad greens. Arrange the mixture on top, sprinkling each serving with a dash of nutmeg.
The Carrot Cookbook
by Audra & Jack Hendrickson
Carrots with Almonds & Horseradish
Serves 4
1 pound carrots, cut into thin strips
1 cup beef stock
1/2 stick butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons horseradish, minced
1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped
salt and freshly ground white pepper
Simmer the carrots in the stock until just tender. Drain, reserving the stock.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring. Add the reserved stock, season and bring to a boil, stirring. Mix the egg yolks with the cream and stir into the sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the horseradish and almonds. Finally, fold in the carrots. Serve hot.
MICROWAVE METHOD: Place the carrots and hot stock in a casserole dish and cook on High for 8 minutes, or until just soft. Drain and reserve the stock. Place the butter in a jug and cook on High for 30-40 seconds. Stir in the flour, then gradually stir in the stock until thickened, stirring 2-3 times. Mix in the eggs and cream and finish as above.
from The Carrot Cookbook, edited by Nicola Hill
Simmered Carrots and Chicken Breasts
Preparation: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
Cooking: 45-60 minutes
Nutritionists counsel us that white chicken meat is one of the best kinds of protein we can eat. It is low in cholesterol, low in fat, and low in calories – all of which goes double for carrots, which have no cholesterol, no fat, and even fewer calories.
3 chicken breast halves
Dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2-1 cup stock
2 cups carrot coins
1/2 cup chopped fennel
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Remove the skin and fat from the chicken, roll the pieces in the bread crumbs, and set them aside. Heat the oil in a heavy, covered pan, and brown the chicken pieces on both sides. Remove the chicken pieces and set them aside.
Lower the heat and add 1/2 cup of stock and stir to blend it well with the pan juices. (Add the remainder of the stock later if the chicken gets too dry as it cooks.)
Now arrange the chicken pieces, the carrot coins, and the fennel in the pan, cover tightly and simmer until the chicken is done and the carrots are tender.
Hawaii Macadamia Nut Carrot Cake
Makes a 7-inch square cake
3 large eggs, separated
l/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup minced carrots
3/4 cup macadamia nuts, very finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
l/2 cup all-purpose flour
l/2 teaspoon baking powder
Well grease a 7-inch square cake pan.
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and creamy. Stir in the carrots, hazelnuts and lemon rind. Sieve in the flour and baking powder and fold it in. Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then carefully fold into the mixture.
Turn the mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake in a preheated oven, 350F, for 40-45 minutes, until the cake is just firm to the touch. Let stand in the pan for about 2-3 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool.
(adapted from The Carrot Cookbook edited by Nicola Hill)
The wooden carrot spoon Ken made me is one-of-a-kind. Almost too pretty to use, but it’s just the right size.
Recipe 1.5 cups of cooked rice to equal amount of milk with a pinch of salt. I added about a teaspoon of fresh orange zest because I had it. Cooked over medium heat, stirring ad needed, until thick, about 15 minutes. Mixed 1/2 cup more milk, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 egg. Whisked into hot milk until the egg was cooked, about 5 minutes. Took off the heat and added 1 teaspoon vanilla. 1 teaspoon of butter optional.
Enjoy hot or cold.
Carrot orange soup
2 medium leeks
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/4 pounds carrot — trimmed, peeled, chopped
1 clove garlic
4 cups broth
2 small oranges
2 tablespoons yogurt — Greek
1 tablespoon chives — chopped for garnish
salt to taste
Trim roots from leeks. Remove tough dark greens. Split leeks lengthwise in half, and rinse well to remove any dirt or grit. Roughly chop the white and light green portion of the leeks. You should have about 2 cups.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped leeks. Cook and stir until leeks are soft but not brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in carrots and garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in 4 cups broth. Heat to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered, stirring often, until carrots are fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Finely grate orange zest into the soup. Then, squeeze the juice from the oranges and add the juice to the soup. Puree the soup in the pan using an immersion blender. (Alternatively, puree the soup in small batches in a blender. Return the soup to the pot.)
Heat pureed soup to a simmer. Add additional vegetable broth or water to adjust the thickness to the texture of a light cream soup. Season to taste with salt. Serve in warmed bowls topped with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of chives.
Serve in warmed bowls topped with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of chives.
Carrot Pudding – Gajar ki Kheer
1 teaspoon saffron threads
2 cups milk
3 cups carrots — peeled and grated
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 cup almonds — slivered blanched
2 tablespoons oil — or butter
Soak the saffron threads in 1/4 cup hot milk.
Peel and grate the carrots. In a large saucepan, boil the remaining quart of milk, sugar, cardamom, almonds, and butler over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the gated carrots and mix thoroughly, cooking for 15-20 minutes, until the mixture thickens and the carrots are glazed and sticky. Pour the saffron milk over the mixture and stir for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve warm or cold.
Croque Monsieur Mac and Cheese
1/2 pound pasta — ziti or macaroni
1 1/2 cups carrots — diced and cooked
2 cups milk
2 cups gruyere cheese — (about 6 ounces) grated
1 cup parmesan cheese — (about 4 ounces) grated
2 large eggs
3 slices white bread — roughly diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter — plus more for greasing
1 medium onion — diced
1 clove garlic — minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 Pinch cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg — freshly grated
Kosher salt
8 ounces ham — thinly sliced deli-boiled or bacon
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ziti and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl; toss with 1/4 cup milk.
Meanwhile, combine both cheeses in a bowl. Beat 1/4 cup milk and the eggs in another bowl; fold in the bread and add half of the cheese.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until just brown, 2 minutes. Cook the carrots with them. Sprinkle in the flour, cayenne, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon Kosher salt; cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Slowly add 3/4 cup water and the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk; bring to a boil, stirring until thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk to cool slightly. Whisk in the remaining cheese, then add the pasta and toss.
White-On-White Salad
2 large carrots — grated
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 medium pear — sliced or canned pears drained
2 cups lettuce — salad greens; boston lettuce is good
In a mixing bowl, combine the carrots, cottage cheese and lemon juice. Set aside.
Cut the pears into quarters and then into eighths.
Add the pear pieces to the carrot mixture and toss carefully to blend. Arrange the mixture on the salad greens and serve at once, sprinkling each serving with a dash of nutmeg.
NOTES : Here’s a tart, tasty salad to whip up and certain to please. Crunchy orange carrots contrast with pale, soft pears and stark, white chewy cheese curs, all blended together with tangy , yellow lemon juice and topped by a dash of perky, brown nutmeg.
The wind was howling in the country this year, and there was a layer of snow on the ground. But it was warm an cozy inside.
Carrots in Paradise Cocktail. We found straight carrot juice to be a bit boring, so W made it easier with Dole’s Paradise Blend: Carrot, apple, pineapple, grape and passion fruit all together. The ginger gives it a punch. Carrot stick garnish is a must.
Carrots in Paradise Cocktail
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1 ounce vodka
4 ounces Dole Paradise Blend
1 whole lime wheel — garnish
1 whole baby carrot stick — garnish
1 teaspoon ginger — grated, fresh
Add juice and vodka. Shake well for approximately 10 seconds then pour over ice. Garnish with a lime wheel and carrot stick.
Carrot Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce. Inspired by Spicy Peanut, Carrot and Snap Pea Wraps on My Recipes. Cute carrot dip dish is from the Kensington Thrift Shop.
Carrot Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
SAUCE
1/3 cup peanut butter — crunchy
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili paste — red curry paste
1 whole lime juice
Rolls
1/2 cup carrots — julienned
1/2 cup sugar snap peas — trimmed
8 whole rice papers — small, round
Make the sauce; you can do ahead.
Wet the rice papers in a pie plate for 20-30 seconds before rolling.
Add carrots and peas to paper; roll.
Place in a dish; cover with a wet paper towel and saran wrap if you want to eat later.
Crunchy Asian Carrot ColeSlaw. Of course, W thought this would have been better with Bacon. Many recipes use two packages of noodles, but one worked fine with this amount. He had it at the family Thanksgiving dinner 2014, and he just knew it would be better with more carrots. Great leftover.
Crunchy Asian Carrot ColeSlaw Salad
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1 package ramen — 2.8 size
1/2 cup almonds — slivered
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 head cabbage — shredded; 4 cups
2 medium carrots — shredded; 1.5 cups
DRESSING
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 package ramen seasoning
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Prepare the salad dressing. Combine cabbage, carrots, seeds and nuts in a large bowl. Mix well and serve cold. Good if you can let it marinate for awhile.
Macaroni and Cheese with Carrots. New dish adopted from Food & Wine. It was vegetarian, but W added Italian sausage / ground pork to make it a meatier main dish. I think he also added some extra cheese — in honor of his cheesy roots.
Carrot Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe By : Jeremy Fox, Food & Wine
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:30
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
3/4 pound carrots — peeled and thinly sliced
1 whole orange — juice and zest
salt — for water
9 ounces penne pasta — 3 cups
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese — shredded; 1.5 cups
1 cup sausage — ground; browned
In a medium saucepan, combine the carrots with the zest and juice and 1/4 cup of water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over moderate heat until the carrots are very soft, about 30 minutes. Discard the zest. Transfer the carrots and any liquid to a blender and puree until very smooth. (You can do this ahead.)
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Return the pasta to the pot. Add the reserved water and the carrot puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the pasta is coated with a thickened sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in three-fourths of the cheese and cook, stirring, until very creamy, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Transfer the pasta to a medium baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Carrot Pudding. This has been the traditional dessert since 2008, but this year there was a twist: A dollop of ricotta cheese to garnish. Good as ever. Great leftover — even for breakfast.
The table was set:
First, the raclette:
Melt the cheese and layer over the other items.
Then, there was the cocktail:
Next, the white bean chili with carrots:
Drain the beans, put them in a large pan and barely cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, boil hard for 5 minutes, the reduce heat to a simmer.
Mix the spices, herbs, seasonings, and flour in a strong plastic bag. Add the chicken cubes and toss them until they are evenly coated with the spice mix. Set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet and saute the onion and celery for 6 minutes. Add the vegetables to the beans.
Heat the remaining oil in the cleaned skillet and cook the chicken, turning often, until all sides are lightly browned. Add the chicken to the beans with the chicken stock and chilies. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until the beans are tender, adding water or chicken stock if the chili looks too dry. Add the carrots. Add salt to taste. Sprinkle in the cilantro just before serving.
And the Thai salad:
Place the carrots in a large mixing bowl. Blend together the vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, and red pepper flakes. Add the dressing to the carrot mixture and let stand for about 14 minutes. Toss in the remaining ingredients at the last minute.
And, of course, the pudding:
Beat eggs. Add sugar and milk and blend. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Pour into a buttered baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until firm. Makes 6 servings.
Which made for one happy girl:
It was one of those cool days in May that you didn’t mind a hot meal. I bought the corned beef back around St Paddy’s Day (about the only time you can buy it here). It keeps in its package for months (it’s that 41% sodium per serving), or you can freeze it. Rinsing the corned beef before you put it in, and not putting in the packaged juice, helps cut the salt down a bit. But it’s not something you want to eat every week.
I had some fancy, fingerling type potatoes, and they tasted like butter without even adding any. Of course, the horseradish adds a nice bit to both the meat and the potatoes. 11 hours seems like forever, but it works well if you are gone to work all day — or if you are running errands all day on a Saturday. Cooks itself.
Mom also suggested cooking the cabbage with a little of the juice in the microwave — not so salty that way. She doesn’t use the seasoning packet — can’t say it added much either way.
Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Recipe By :About.com
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:20
Categories : Crockpot Meats
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
6 whole carrots — cut into chunks
4 whole potatoes — or more small ones
2 lb. corned beef brisket — with seasoning packet
12 ounces beer
2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 cup water
8 wedges cabbage
In 4-6 quart crockpot, combine carrots and potatoes. Rinse corned beef under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in crockpot and sprinkle with contents of seasoning mix. Spread mustard on brisket and pour beer over brisket. Add water. Cover crockpot and cook on low setting for 10-12 hours.
Remove corned beef from crockpot and cover with foil, then put into 200 degrees F oven to keep warm. Add cabbage wedges to vegetables and liquid in crockpot. Cover crockpot and cook on high for additional 30-40 minutes or until cabbage is crisp tender.
To serve, cut corned beef across grain into thin slices. Remove vegetables from slow cooker with slotted spoon and serve with corned beef. Serve cooking juices over the food, if desired. Offer additional mustard and horseradish on the side.
If you have a newer, hotter cooking crockpot you might want to check it after 8 or 9 hours. Although, with this much liquid, there shouldn’t be much problem with anything burning.
Adopted from: Source:
“http://busycooks.about.com/od/beefroastrecipes/r/cpcornedbeef.htm“
Delicious, light cocktail before pizza. And what better before Italian food than a little Italian liquor?
Aperol is a dark orange Italian aperitif with a sweet orange taste. Born in 1919 in Padua, Aperol is made from a blend of spirit, rhubarb, chinchona, genziana and a secret combination of herbs. 103 calories in an ounce. 11 percent alcohol.
Adopted from “Lounge in New York” by Eric Wetz, (Wall Street Journal May 15, 2011). “Don’t let the neon color fool you; this is a balanced drink you may want to make by the pitcher.”
W’s Roman Holiday Cocktail
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1 ounce vodka
1 ounce Aperol
1/2 lime
1/2 orange
spash of soda water
Squeeze juices int vodka and Aperol. Shake with ice and strain into a martni glass.
Top with a splash of soda water or Prosecco.
Garnish with an orange wedge.
I saw this on recipe for nuked Alaskan King Crab Claws on Alton Brown several years ago, and I wanted to try ever since. It is very easy. The crab has a different flavor than the crabs we get her in Maryland.
Ingredients
Directions
Wrap 3 claws at a time in a damp paper towel, along with 1 sprig of thyme, dill or other fresh herb, and then wrap in plastic wrap. Place wrapped claws in microwave 1 package at a time and cook on high for 2 minutes. Remove and unwrap carefully. Serve immediately. We served with a salad and roasted green beans. Butter on the side of course, but not that necessary.
Potato GnocchiThis Wall Street Journal (New World Gnocchi Jan 2011) article inspires you to get out the potatoes: Here’s how important gnocchi, aka ñoquis, is in Argentina and Uruguay: The food has its own day of each month, the 29th, when there is no question of what’s for dinner. On the 29th, you put a few bills under your plate of ñoquis and the cash is said to eventually multiply. In the WSJ version, they cook the potatoes til soft in the microwave, and then they pass potatoes through a ricer.
3 cups mashed potatoes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
all-purpose flour
boiling salted water
sauce
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese
Measure the potatoes into a bowl with 1 1/2 cups of flour, salt, oil and blend with a fork. Add eggs and blend thoroughly into potato mixture. Turn dough onto floured board and knead gently, about 15 times. Shape into a fat loaf and set on floured area to prevent sticking. Cut off a piece of dough at a time about (about 1 1/2 cups) and roll on lightly floured board into a cord 3/8 inch thick. Cut cord into 1 1/ inch lengths. Roll each segment in th center lightly under forefinger to give the piece a bow shape / sea shells.
Set the shaped gnocchi aside on a lightly floured pan such as a baking sheet; the pieces should not touch.
Set them a few at a time (enough to cover the bottom, but not stack) into boiling, salted water. Cook five minutes after they return to the surface of the water (stir gently if they haven’t popped up in about a minute). Keep water at a slow boil. Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon. Place in a shallow pan and use melted butter / olive oil to get them from sticking together. Cover and keep warm. Can keep in a 150 degree oven for as long as three hours. To serve, layers with sauce and cheese in a baking dish; heat at 375 for 10 minutes.
Mashed potatoes: to prepare instant mashed potatoes, hit the amount of water called for on the package to 6-8 servings; stie in potatoes as directed. Add no seasonings or other ingredients. Measure 3 cups; use at once. CAn also use pesto or marinara sauce.
The Sauce: BROWN BUTTER AND SAGE
1. Add a knob of unsalted butter to a large sauté pan (not non-stick) and set over high heat.
2.Once the butter browns, add several leaves of chopped sage and then immediately add well-drained gnocchi.
3. Do not touch the pan for a minute or two, until one side of the gnocchi is well browned.
4. Jerk the pan forward to toss the gnocchi, and allow them to brown on another side. Slide onto a plate and sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper.